Jose Butler Exclusive: ‘Cricket is filled with numbers, and I think a lot happens sometimes’. Cricket news

Over the years, Jose Butler has experienced many heights and climbing in his cricket career. He was a decisive cog from Ion Morgan’s England, which revolutionized ODI with his attacking mentality.
Jose Butler, who succeeded Eoin Morgan in June 2022 and won the T20 World Cup immediately, left the post as captain after England’s disappointing results in three consecutive ICC events: 2023 50-Over World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.
In a clear chat with Timesofindia.com, 34 -year -old spoke on several topics.
Part:
How is your experience so far Gujarat Titans,
This has really been a good experience. I really enjoyed it. Obviously, this is a new challenge, a new team. So, it felt like the first day of school when I came. But no, I am really settled well. I have been warmly welcomed in the group. There is an excellent vibe around the team. You know, Vikram Solanki, Ashish Nehra, and Shubman Gill’s leadership group has really created a good environment, and I feel very comfortable.
T20 demands that players continuously improve. You started as a finisher, then went to open the innings, and now batted at number three. How did you adapt to these different roles so easily?
I have really enjoyed batting above and below the order. In the first half of my career, I was a very middle-order player or finisher. Actually, to give me a chance to open T20 cricket, you have to give a huge loan to Mahala Jayawardane. I had to learn how to play powerplay. But once I met through the powerplay, it felt as if I was just batting as I used to do anyway. So yes, it is good to be able to marry two styles. Obviously, if you can get through the powerplay and then play independently, you can really affect the game.

Playing at number three is a new role for me. I did it a little with England in the last few months. But yes, I am just trying to use all my experiences and look at the scoreboard and play what is necessary. You know, of course, you can see what the openers are doing and if the ball is swinging, or if it is really a good wicket, or whatever it is. And then, yes, I could have been in the first over, or I could be outside the powerplay. So, I just wait and see and react to how I need to play.
There is an eternal challenge of numbers in cricket: to know which numbers to use and who to ignore. Does data help a cricketer improve their game?
I think skills with data are really understanding what it means, what the reference is, how it can help, and what it is showing me that my cricket is not intuition. Or, I should try and use it as another decision -making tool. I do not think you should follow it with closed. And, likewise, you should not be resistant to it, thinking, ‘I have played cricket forever, I don’t need to see data.’ Therefore, I think it is just trying to decode what it really means. Does it add value? Does it confirm my Cricket IQ, or does it challenge it? And if it challenges it, then ask questions, you know what it means?
Cricket is filled with numbers, and I think it sometimes has too much, or people focus on useless things that really does not matter. But of course, some values ​​have to be found in some areas. So, I think you have come to know what you are seeing and how to ask the correct questions around it. I see it every time and again; I am not getting married for this. And I also try to use my experience with more than 400 T20 games that I have played.

Your ramp shot is like a flick in hockey. Despite the movement, your head still remains, your eyes are on the ball, and your balance remains intact.
I played a little hockey, but no, I think it is more than a cricket shot that has developed. You know, as I say, just deflect the ball for a big interval on the field. Obviously, if the third man is up, you can get it on top of him or on the wicketkeeper. I was always trying to work in a way how I could play it on every ball that a bowler can bowl. Therefore, I was not just relying on a yorker. So I was standing in opposition to going down on one leg.
Have you borrowed ideas from tennis and baseball and applied them to the cricket ground while playing 360-degree shots?
Not straight, I would say, but I enjoy other games. I like to watch other games. I think there are some similarities with baseball in power-touching goods. But I would say, for me, I think any ball sport, you know, with an implementation, call a racket or stick or bat, there are natural crossover. Golf, the way a person is going to swing the club, or whatever, you know, so at the end of the day, you are still hitting a ball. And each game has its own nuances and various techniques.
But each person probably has a certain style or thing that will probably have a crossover in all those sports. I think we are sometimes caught, ‘Oh, it’s a hockey shot in cricket’ or ‘it’s a golf swing.’ But I would say that it is just hitting one ball. No matter what game you are playing, you are killing a ball, and you are using all that experience and hand coordination and memory memory and simply to hit the ball as well as in cricket.
Will we see Jos Buttler playing international cricket again?
I certainly hope so. I have just stepped as captain. So yes, I hope I can play as a player now.